BART says high absenteeism is a top priority

Published 8:03 pm, Sunday, July 7, 2013

There's no shortage of issues for BART and its unions to resolve if another strike is to be averted in a month - including the 40 unscheduled absences that management says drivers and station agents take on average each year.

That comes to about one day off for every six days worked, and it's on top of the 13 paid holidays and up to six weeks of vacation that workers also receive every year.

It's 14 more absentee days than San Francisco's Muni drivers average, according to city records.

Besides 12 paid sick days apiece, workers may be out for jury duty, family medical leave, disability or industrial injury.

BART General Manager Grace Crunicansaid high absenteeism among the system's 945 train operators and station agents cost the agency $30 million last year in overtime, largely to cover the shifts.

She said fixing the problem was at the top of her priority list during talks with the striking unions, along with health and pension costs.

BART says 10 percent of its workers account for half the absences.

"There are those who drive those numbers up, and I'm trying to get (my staff) to manage those people," Crunican recently told The Chronicle's editorial board.

It turns out, drivers and station agents have an incentive to call in sick.

Even if they haven't put in a full 40-hour workweek, they're still entitled to receive overtime - paid at up to twice the normal rate, depending on the day and time - for working extra shifts.

Station agents, who earn a maximum $62,859 annually in base pay, average $17,000 apiece in overtime - largely because of the absenteeism.

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555, which represents train operators, contends that BART has overstated the problem and unfairly included employees out on workers' compensation or industrial injury in the statistics.

"We have proposed an excellent workers' comp program that would save the district millions," said union local President Antonette Bryant, "and allow people to get back to work more quickly, and they won't have to backfill those positions."

But management apparently isn't buying it. They say that even after excluding workers out on workers' compensation or industrial injury, train operators and station agents average twice as many unscheduled absences as anyone else at BART.

Bridge Decision Day: It's just about D-Day for Caltrans on the new Bay Bridge eastern span - Decision Day for whether it will open as scheduled on Sept. 3 - and sources tell us that officials are leaning toward a delay.

The problem is the fix needed to deal with 32 rods that snapped on the span in March. With contractors telling Caltrans there's no guarantee it will be done on time, a preliminary decision to hold off on an early September opening is being run up the chain of command, sources say.

"The fundamental issue remains what has been said repeatedly in recent months - that the new bridge will not open until it is ready," said one transportation official with knowledge of the discussions, who, like other sources, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not cleared to go public.

Caltrans and regional officials working on the $6.4 billion project are scheduled to brief state legislators Monday on the project. After they do so, they plan to release a report that, while not specifically announcing a delay, "suggests they need more time," our transportation official says.

One complication - Sept. 3 worked very nicely because it came just after the Labor Day weekend, a time of light traffic when Caltrans could close the bridge for 72 hours to connect the new span to the Yerba Buena Island Tunnel.

Picking a new date that will be least disruptive to drivers could itself be a challenge that further delays the opening.